BAREILLY: All schools within Bareilly’s city limits, from nursery to Class 8, remained closed on Tuesday as the BJP’s major padyatra began in the city, with the administration anticipating a turnout of 25,000 to 50,000 people.The closure order applied to schools affiliated with all boards.District basic education officer (BSA) Dr Vineeta directed council-run, aided and recognised schools, as well as CBSE- and ICSE-affiliated institutions in the urban area, to remain shut. School managers and headmasters were instructed to ensure compliance.The padyatra, titled ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’, is being led by Union minister JP Nadda and Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. The two leaders addressed a public meeting before the march proceeded along the city’s main roads.The school holiday followed a request from Bareilly MP Chhatrapal Gangwar, who had written to the administration citing the possibility of a large turnout.Acting on the instructions of district magistrate Avinash Singh, the district basic education department issued the closure order.However, opposition party members said shutting schools, including private and board-affiliated institutions, for a political event had disrupted the routine of thousands of students and their families.Officials said the order was issued keeping in mind the scale of the gathering and the movement of protected dignitaries through the city’s central areas.